Take up device for electric fixtures



Oct. 6, 1931. o. P. WlLKlN TAKE-UP DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC FIXTURES Filed Dec. 20, 1926 7 Inventor.

Patented Oct. 6, 1931 UNITED STATES OTHO 1?. WILKIN, OF SOUTH PASADENA, CALIFORNIA TAKE UP DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC FIXTURES Application filed December 20, 1326.

771 may be adjusted as to position, bothwith respect to its distance from the wall and as to elevation in a room.

Another object is to provide an improved bracket lamp comp-rising means for support- H210 ing the lamp on a wall, means for adjusting the same horizontally and vertically on said supporting means, and means for operably connecting the lamp with a source ofelectric current supply.

A further object is to provide an improved electric lamp bracket adapted to be attached to the wall of a room or hung on the picture moulding, and including a horizontal arm, a housing movably supported on said arm, and a lamp vertically adjustable on said housing, whereby the lamp may be positioned for use at selected points, within a substantial range of adjustment, at different elevations and distances from the wall.

A still further object is to provide means on said supporting arm for moving the lamp and supporting housing backwardly and forwardly thereon. and for retaining the lamp in selected positions for use.

Another object is to provide means in said housing for adj ustably supporting the lamp at different elevations and for retaining the lamp at selected elevations during use.

. Other and more detailed objects of invention will appear as the description progresses.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown a preferred form of my improvements, subject to modification, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit thereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved lamp in position for use;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional elevation of the lamp supporting housing, on line 22 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the same;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the supporting bracket on line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the supporting arm on line 55 of Fig. 1;

Serial No. 155,980.

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the supporting arm;

Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation of the lamp housing and enclosed mechanism on line 77 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional plan of tihe lamp supporting arm on line 88 of Fig.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view showing the frictionally engaged lamp cord reels mounted '60 within the housing for providing electrical contact therebetween.

Briefly described, my improvements consist of a wall bracket B having an elongated arm A extended inwardly into the room there 6 from, with a slide S movable thereon and attached to a housing H from which is suspended a lamp L by means of a flexible cord E. Connection is made with a source of electric current supply by means of another flexible cord E having a plug P on the end thereof, as shown in Fig. 1.

Bracket B has a body portion 1 with lugs 2, 2, at the top and a single lug 3 at the bottom thereof adapted for attachment to' a wall by means of screws. bolts or other devices, when the bracket is attached to the wall W direct in the'absence of a picture moulding as at M. Said lugs are perforated at 4: for the insertion of the attaching screws or bolts. The upper portion of the bracket is provided on the rear side with a pair of horizontallyalined and spaced lugs 5. 5, so formed at their outer ends that they may be readily hooked over the holding edge of the moulding M. as shown in Fig. 1, for supporting the bracket B and arm A movably on the moulding. In such case the lower lug 3 will restagainst the surface of the wall W and need not be attached thereto.

Arm A is in the form of an elongated hollow tube of square or rectangular cross section and is suitably held at its inner end in a supporting boss 6 formed on the outer side of bracket B. The outer end of arm A is closed by means of a suitable member 7 which may have a portion 8 bent downwardly and inwardly, as shown in Fig. 1, for engagement with the outer side of housing H so as to limit the movement of said housing in its outward movement on arm A.

The inner and outer end portions of arm A are provided, respectively, with reels 1" and 9" mounted on horizontal screws, or bolts, as at 9 in Fig. 41. Said reels are similar and have flanges 10, 10 at the ends thereof and hollow hubs 11 within which are mounted coiled springs 12 attached at their opposite ends, respectively, to the bolts 9 and at their other ends to one of the flanges 10. The reels 7" and r are thus held in tension, after the manner of curtain rollers, and are adapted to receive operating cords C and C, respectively, by means of which the housing H and lamp L may be moved over the arm A to selected position, and in either direction.

The ends of the cords C and C are attached to the reels 1' and 1" respectively and are then wound for a substantial number of turns around the reels, and extend outwardly through the arm A and through the en d member. Cord C extends rearwardly in arm A and operates overa roller a rotatably mounted in the rear end of said arm. The ends of said cords depend from said n'ienlber 7 and carry buttons or rings 13, and 1%, respectively, marked as shown or otherwise, to illdicate the direction which the lamp will'be moved by the two cords.

The arrangement is such that by pulling the cord C by means of the button 13 the lamp and housing will be moved outwardly on the arm A against the tension of the, spring 12 in reel 7 and by pulling the cord C the lamp and housing will be moved inwardly on the arm against the tension of spring 12 in reel 1". Said springs thus serve to take up the slack in the cords C and C regardless of the position of the lamp on the arm A.

Cords C and C have buttons 15 and 16, respectively, attached thereto at points near the reels 1" and r for purposes which I will now describe. Housing His supported movably on the arm A by means of the slide S which has a bossl. with an opening therethrough as at 18 to receive the arm A, and end portions 19, 19 which carry anti-friction rollers or balls 20. 20, etc, for engagement with the outer surfaces of the arm A.

Arm A has an elongated slot 21 extending hmgitndinally thereof on its upper side which slidab'ly receives a port-ion 22 of a screw 23 depending into the opening 18 of the slide S and attached to the upper side of said slide, as shown in Fig. 2. Said screw carries a pivoted d tent D, positioned within the arm A and adjacent the head 24- of the screw, between which and the upper side of the arm A a spring 25 is coiled around said screw. One end of said spring is attached to the stem of the screw andthe other end thereof is extended through the detem D. As shown. in Fig. 8, the detent D has eccentrically curved and diametrically opposite peripheral portions 26, 26 which engage the opposite sides of the arm A fictionally, by means of the tension of the spring 25, so to hold the housing H and lamp L at points to which the same may be moved on said arm until purposely released for another adjustment of position.

The detent D carries a pair of oppositely positioned eye screws 27, 27 on the lower side thereof, through which the cords C and C are threaded, and said eye screws are adapted to be engaged by the buttons 15 and 16, respectively, for releasing the detent D from frictional contact with the arm A so that the housing and lamp may be moved to a selected position. It will be noted that as shown in Fig. 1, the button 16 on cord C is near the front end of arm A so that when cord C is pulled slightly for moving the lamp backwardly on said arm the initial movement of the cord will cause the button 16 to engage the eye screw on one of the ends of member D and permit the movement of the lamp on the arm. Likewise the button 15 is positioned normally at the rear end ofarm A so that when the lamp is at a position intermediate the ends of the arm the button 1C will move forward. when the cord is pulled until it engages the eye screw through which its cord is extended, thus releasing the detent and permitting the movement of the lamp forwardly on the arm to a selected position.

The slide S has a base flange 28 to which are attached on its lower side a pair of transverse cleats 29, 29 of insulating and non-conducting material, such as wood fibre or hard rubber, by means of screws 30, 30, etc, by means of which members the housing H is attached to the slide, as follows: Said housing is composite in character and for reasons hereinafter appearing is made of non-conducting material encased in a metal jacket; The sides 31 and are formed of sheets of non-conductingmaterial attached at their upper edges to the ends of the cleats- 29, 29 by means of screws Said sides are also cross connected at the bottom of the housing by meansof a cleat 34; in like manner, and again atthe ends by members 35 and 36 respectively. The bottom, ends and portions of the top of the housing to points adjacent the ends of the slide S are closed by means of a thin sheet metal jacket J extending aroundthe marginal portions of the sides 31 and 32.

The purpose of the housing H is to operably support and enclose a pair of reels R and R on which are wound the electric cords E and E by means of which the electric current is communicated to the lamp L. The reels R and R are similar in structure and arrangement but are slightly different in size, and formed of non-conducting material. They comprise side flanges 37 and 38 joined by hollow hubs 40, suitably connected together, as shown in Figs. 2 and 7, illustrating a typical arrangement of the two reels. The reels are pivoted on non conducting pins 41 and 42, respectively, on which the reels revolve, or which may be jo-urnaled in the sides 31 and 32 ot the housing H, as desired. Each of the reels carries within its hub 40 a coiled spring 43 having one end attached to one side of the housing and the other end attached to the pin 41 or 42-, as the case may be. See Fig. 7 Thus the reels R and R are held in tension for taking up the slack in the cords E and E, regardless of the position of the lamp on the arm A. The flanges 37 and 38 of the reels R and R are provided on their outer sides with metallic discs held in position by means of screws 44 secured to the flanges of the reels.

These metallic discs are of ditterent size on the two reels R and B so that they will overlap at their peripheries and make wiping contact for communicating the electric current from reel R to reel R. Thus reel R has discs 45, 45 which are smaller in diameter than the pair of discs 46, 46 on reel R, and the width of the reel R is consequently slight- 1y less than that of the reel R for the purpose of overlapping the discs of the two reels.

Cord E is connected by means of the plug P with a source 0t current supply and extends through a hanger 47 on bracket 13 and also through an insulating nipple 48 which is threaded into the cleat 35 at one end of the housing H. Said cord is then wound for a plurality of turns around the reel R and is adapted for attachment at its end to one of the discs 45 thereon so as to complete the electrical connection between the plug P and the discs 45. Similarly cord E is connected with the lamp L and extends through a nipple 49 which is threaded, into the cleat 34 of housing H, is wound tor a plurality of turns around reel R and is attached at its end to one of the discs 46 of the reel R. Thus the connection between the lamp L is completed through cord E, reels R and R, in order, cord E and plug P to a suitable wall orbase socket.

In order to retain the lamp L at selected elevations with respect to the housing H aratchet device is provided within the housing in connection with the lamp supporting reel R and including a pawl 50 pivotally held at a point 51 on member 36 and having a. portion 52 adapted to seat inone of the plurality of notches formed in the periphery of a ratchet 54 attached to one flange of the reel R by means of screws See 2.

In operation, when the complete device is properly positioned on the picture melding of or attached to a wall W, as shown and electrically connected at the plug P for operation, the lamp will be held at a desired position on the arm A by means of the detent D as described. The lamp and slide may be moved in either direction on the arm by pulling one or the other of the cords C or C at the buttons 13 or 14, through the connections shown and described. Such movement of the lamp is permitted by thelength of the cord E which is wound on reel R, and the slack in said cord is taken up by means of the spring 43 in said reel, at all positions of the lamp.

The lamp may be adjusted vertically with respect to the housing H by pulling the same upwardly or downwardly, as desired, the ratchet on the reel R serving to retain the lamp in selected positions, and the slack in cord E is taken up by means of the tension of reel R.

It will be observed that a lamp of this character aside from being portable, bodily, permitting the movement thereof from one position on a wall to another, is adjustable slidably on the picture moulding within the range of the cord E, is further adjustable inwardly and outwardly from the wall to a substantial extent, and additionally adjustable vertically to a large extent, thus permitting the use of the lamp which is not possible with other types of hanging lamps. A lamp of this character is preferable to lamps supported on standards for the reason that it does not occupy floor space in a room, will not interfere with other articles of furniture when adjusted to different positions, and may be adjusted vertically, which is impossible with lamps on standards.

What I claim is: I

1. A take-up device for electric fixtures including a housing, a pair of reels mounted therein and having spaced parallel axes, electrical conductors wound on and. electrically connected with the sides of said reels, said sides of one reel being in electrical contact with the sides of the other reel for connecting said conductors in series.

2. A take-up device for electrical conductors including a housing, a pair of reels rotatably supported thereon and having spaced parallel axes, the sides of said reels being overlapped and in frictional contact, conductors on each reel and electrically connected with the sides of said reels, said sides serving to connect said conductors in series.

3. An electric fixture including a housing, a pair of adjustable spring-actuated reels carried in said housing and having spaced parallel axes, overlapping frictionally engaged contact discs on said reels, flexible con ductors wound on said reels and having their inner ends connected with said discs, and ratchet devices connected with one of said reels for maintaining the cord unwound from said reel at selected lengths.

4. A device of the character described including a housing, a reel held in tension in said housing, a flexible conductor mounted thereon for connection with a source of electrie current, a second reel insaid housing having its axis spaced from and parallel with the axis of the other reel, the sides of said reels being overlapped and in electrical con tact, and a flexible conductor 011 said second reel electrically connected thru said sides with the conductor of the first reel.

OTHO P. lVILKIN. 

